A mother has paid tribute to her "beautiful caring" daughter after she became the second British servicewoman to be killed in action in Iraq.

Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott, aged 34, died in a makeshift bomb blast while on a boat patrol on Remembrance Sunday. Her mother Elsie Manning yesterday said: "Her life was the Army."

The blast also claimed the life of Warrant Officer Class 2 Lee Hopkins, aged 35, a "loving husband and devoted father" who had been married to wife Amanda for ten years and had a three-year-old son.

Two Royal Marines, divorced father-of-two Marine Jason Hylton, aged 33, and 27-year-old Corporal Ben Nowak, once a promising young footballer who had trials with Southampton FC, were killed in the same explosion.

Cpl Nowak’s uncle Michael McEvatt, aged 48, said: "He was so proud of what he did and he was so proud of that uniform."

But Marine Hylton’s girlfriend Sasha Martin said she was "very angry and upset" and that he should never have been sent to Iraq.

The four were killed during a patrol in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra city when a bomb, thought to be a home-made device, exploded near their boat.

Their names were released today as Tony Blair held discussions with a US commission charged with re-thinking American policy on Iraq.

Staff Sgt Elliott, originally from Ipswich, joined the Army at 18 and became an instructor in the Intelligence Corps. She had been in Iraq just over a week.

She had been living in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, since 1998 and was single. Two of her four step-brothers are also serving in the Army.

Mrs Manning told how she had spent much of her time while not serving her country looking after a friend suffering from cancer.

"Sharron was the most beautiful, caring person in the world. She was very strong-minded but very compassionate," she said.

"Her life was the Army and she had served all over the world. It is of some comfort to the family that she died doing what she loved.

"We all loved her so much - she has left such a big hole in our lives. She was the most fantastic person, she was just amazing and touched the hearts of everyone she met. We can never replace her."

Commanding officer Major Nick Tuppen described her as "a no-nonsense professional soldier who displayed both strength and compassion".

Before Staff Sgt Elliott's death, the only woman to die in action in the present campaign was Flight Lt Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill, aged 32, whose helicopter was shot down over Basra in May.

WO2 Hopkins, from Wellingborough, Northants, was a qualified parachutist and keen sportsman described as "the ultimate professional" and "dedicated family man" by his commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Park.

"He was a loving husband and devoted father," he said.

The soldier joined the Army in 1988 and spent his entire career in the Royal Corps of Signals.

Cpl Nowak was born in Speke, Merseyside, but brought up in Australia and had dual nationality. As a 16-year-old, the football-mad Everton fan had trials with Southampton.

His uncle Mr McEvatt said: "Ben was an extraordinary soldier and an extraordinary young man."

The Marine’s cousin Daniel McEvatt said: "He once nutmegged Matt Le Tissier, that was something he wouldn’t let us forget."

Cpl Nowak’s girlfriend Nicola Hindley was too upset to speak.

Marine Hylton, a divorced father-of-two, lived with his parents in Swadlincote, Derbyshire. He joined up at the age of 30.

Major Nathan Hale, second-in-command of his unit, said: "Marine Jay Hylton was a bright and enthusiastic man who, although joining the Royal Marines older than most recruits, had quickly made his mark within the Service and had a promising career ahead of him.

His brother Daz, aged 37, said: "He loved the marine life and thoroughly enjoyed his job. He always said that if anything happened to him then no one, even Bush or Blair, should be blamed."

"He should never have been sent to Iraq, and it was not even his boat that he was on when he died."

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn White, commanding officer of 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines, explained that the men had been killed serving in a boat group patrolling Shatt al-Arab, as they approached a pontoon bridge.

He paid tribute to the work of the boat group as "of the highest standard and quite humbling".

Three other service personnel were seriously injured in the attack, which brought the British death toll in Iraq since 2003 to 125.